


Founding Day Festivities

by maplemarcher



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Minecraft Story Mode
Genre: Aiden is an asshole, Fluff, M/M, anyway cute carnival dates are my jelly and my jam, the Ocelots don't fucking deserve Lukas' kindness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 14:20:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18263084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maplemarcher/pseuds/maplemarcher
Summary: The first Founding Day festival is in full swing, and everyone in Beacontown is having a blast. Everyone, that is, except Lukas. Luckily for him, all it takes to turn a night around is a good friend.





	Founding Day Festivities

**Author's Note:**

> I love carnival dates. I don't care how cliched they are, in this house we love tropes and tooth rotting fluff

     Beacontown has never been more lively than it is tonight.

     The celebrations are in full swing. There’s music, food, dancing, games, merchants, and even a building competition. The streets are filled to the brim with people eating, laughing, and dancing. Fireworks fly high above, sparkling against the stars and providing a backdrop for the ray of light from the town’s namesake cutting into the sky. There isn’t an unsmiling face in sight.

     They’re celebrating the very first Founding Day. Today marks a year since the town’s completion. It’s also the day they celebrate the victory of the New Order of the Stone against the Wither Storm. There’s a stage in one corner of the town, where a group of citizens are putting on a dramatic reenactment of the events of that day. Anyone who was actually there knows that it’s slightly exaggerated.

     That’s not to say Lukas doesn’t appreciate the artistic license, though. He’s watching an actor give a dramatic speech as they hold a replica of the weapon Jesse had used to destroy the command block, a silhouette of the Wither Storm hanging in the corner of the stage. He’s trying not to laugh; the portrayal isn’t too far off. Jesse certainly does love their speeches.

     The actor raises their weapon above their head and is flown to the top of the stage, a stuffed pig in their arms. The stage goes dark for a moment as fog machines turn on, creating an eerie atmosphere. The fight sequence that follows is well choreographed and ends with a paper mache version of the command block being skewered on the end of their weapon. An artificial wail fills the air, and the actor drops the stuffed pig to the ground, where it disappears beneath a trap door. The play ends soon after that, with more actors portraying the New Order joining hands as a backdrop with Beacontown painted on it appears.

     Lukas joins in the applause, smiling. He’d seen posters about the play around town earlier that week, and it hadn’t disappointed. The actors gather in front of the stage afterwards, and they seem excited when he approaches them. Their starstruck demeanor wears off after a few minutes of talking to him, and they have a nice chat about writing. Lukas still isn’t used to this treatment. He’s not sure he ever will be.

     Once the audience has mostly dispersed, Lukas bids the actors goodnight and heads back into the throng of people. The streets aren’t as crowded here as they are in the center of town, where the main dance floor is. Lukas still has to squeeze through people to get through. He’s wandering the streets aimlessly, watching the people around him with a contented smile. They’re all happy and celebrating, grateful for their new home. Lukas is among them. Days like this are what makes him feel like everything that happened was worth it.

     He’s thinking about refilling the empty cup in his hands when someone bumps into him, sending it clattering to the ground. Lukas looks up, about to apologize for not looking where he was going, when his words die in his throat. It’s Aiden.

     “H-hey, Aiden,” Lukas stutters. “Sorry about that.” He bends to pick up his cup, his stomach clenching.

     “Watch where you’re going,” Aiden sneers. He glares at Lukas for a moment before shoving past him, hitting their shoulders together purposefully. Lukas staggers. Aiden’s always been shorter than him, but he’s also always been stronger.

     The light, contented feeling in his stomach deflates and turns heavy. Lukas sighs and runs his hand down his face haggardly. His relationship with his old friends has been rocky ever since the Wither Storm was defeated. He’d called them out on their constant berating of Jesse and the rest of his friends, and they’d turned on him almost immediately. They’d ditched their old ocelot jackets and replaced them with new ones with blaze rods emblazoned on the back. That’s what they were calling themselves now too. Aiden, in particular, treats him as if they’d never been friends. It hurts more than any insult he can throw his way.

     Lukas suddenly isn’t in the mood to be at this festival. He wants to go home, hole up in his room, and work on his book. It’s coming along pretty nicely, he thinks; he’s about halfway through their adventure with the Wither Storm. He’s in the middle of a chapter too. Maybe it would be in his best interests to leave now. In order to do that, he has to cross through the main square. Lukas sighs and braces himself to weave through a considerably larger number of people. He’s never been a huge fan of crowds.

     The crowd gets more and more dense as he approaches the center of town, and when he finally reaches it, there’s practically no space in between bodies. Lukas steels himself and starts across the center of town, toward the New Order’s hall. It’s incredibly slow going. The music and chatter of the people around him are almost deafening, but he manages to keep his pulse rate down. A panic attack in the middle of the town square doesn’t sound like a fun evening. He’s about halfway across when he hears someone calling his name.

     “Lukas! Hey! Over here!” It’s Axel. He’s grinning and waving his arms above his head. Lukas waves back, debating. He could go over to Axel, but then he’ll probably be stuck out for a few more hours. It’s already getting late. Unfortunately for Lukas, he doesn’t get a choice in the matter. Axel’s making his way towards him, the crowd naturally parting around him.

     “Hey Axel,” Lukas says.

     “We were all wondering where you were!” Axel says, clapping Lukas on the back and making him stagger forward. “I thought you’d be in your room all night!”

     “Well, actually, I was—” Lukas starts, glancing toward the hall.

     “No way man,” Axel says, cutting him off. “Today’s supposed to be a party! There’s no way I’m going to let you hole yourself up all night.”

     “I’m just not really having fun,” Lukas admits. “I’d rather go home and work on my book.”

     Axel’s gaze softens. He puts his hand on Lukas’ shoulder and leans down so he can talk without having to shout. “If you really want to go home, I’m not gonna stop you. But if you want, we can try to have some fun.”

     Lukas takes a moment to consider. It’s true that huge events like this aren’t his forte, but he’s been looking forward to the Founding Day festival for weeks. He doesn’t want to let anyone ruin that, especially Aiden.

     “You know what? Sure,” he says with a small smile. Axel grins. Lukas isn’t prepared for what happens next. He yelps as he’s picked up and placed on Axel’s shoulders. “H-hey, what the hell!”

     “Don’t wanna lose you in the crowd,” Axel replies.

     “At least just give me a piggyback ride or something, you’re way too tall for this—”

     “You’ll be fine!”

     Axel starts moving through the crowd, and Lukas holds on for dear life. Axel’s holding on to him, thankfully. His large hands are wrapped around Lukas’ thighs just above his knees, keeping him steady. That doesn’t stop him from wrapping his arms around the top of Axel’s head. He moves much faster than Lukas, partly due to his height, partly due to the fact that people see him coming and promptly get out of his way, not wanting to get run over. It’s honestly a little liberating. Lukas has never been above the crowd before, and he’s always had to fight his way through.

     “Where to first?” Axel asks.

     “Uh—up to you,” Lukas says. “I already went to the play, but other than that I’ve just kind of wandered.”

     “Oh man, you haven’t been to the archery game yet?”

     “Nope.”

     “Then that’s where we’re going!”

     The archery game is in a much less crowded part of town. It’s a fairly basic concept: shoot the planks of wood painted to look like monsters, avoid the people and animals, extra points if you take down the Ender Dragon. There’s a long line, so Lukas and Axel wait their turn. Axel still hasn’t put Lukas down. Lukas isn’t exactly complaining; Axel’s shoulders are surprisingly comfortable. He folds his arms on top of Axel’s head and rests his head on them. He can smell Axel’s shampoo, and a few locks of his hair tickle his nose.

     “Comfy up there?” Axel asks.

     “Yeah actually,” Lukas replies. “Aren’t you getting tired though?”

     “Are you kidding? You hardly weigh anything,” Axel says. “I bet I could pick you up with one hand.”

     Heat creeps into Lukas’ face at that thought. “Let’s not find out in case you can’t. I don’t want to crack my head open.”

     Axel laughs, and Lukas cracks a smile. It’s almost their turn in line, so he gets off of Axel’s shoulders and back on to the ground. He looks at the booth for the archery range. There are a large number of prizes hung up, each one bigger and more obnoxious than the last. A stuffed wolf catches his eye. It’s a tad oversized, but still huggable, with stark white fur that looks soft to the touch, a small, pink tongue sticking out of its mouth, and a red collar around its neck. It’s absolutely adorable.

     “Bet you I can win that wolf,” Lukas says, leaning over to Axel and pointing at it.

     “Bet you can’t,” Axel says with a grin.

     “If you’re wrong, you owe me a caramel apple.”

     Axel’s grin widens. “You’re on.”

     The operator of the game greets them with a flourish and hands Lukas a bow when he steps forward. There’s an ample supply of arrows for him to use. A bell rings, the operator pulls a lever, and the mechanics whir to life. Lukas takes out the monsters in the first round with ease and lands a couple arrows in the Ender Dragon as it passes across the top of the booth. The next two rounds have the same outcome. Lukas fires an arrow right into the head of the wooden cutout of the dragon, and a roar plays as the lights in the game switch off.

     “That’s the first perfect score of the night!” the operator says excitedly. “Choose any prize you’d like!”

     “I’ll take the wolf, if you don’t mind,” Lukas says, smirking at Axel. Axel sticks his tongue out like he’s a twelve-year-old. Which he is. Mentally. The operator of the game hands Lukas his prize, and he thanks them with a smile and bids them goodnight. He’s feeling quite satisfied with himself as the two of them walk off.

     “You’re a pretty good shot,” Axel remarks, his hands in his pockets.

     “Thanks,” Lukas says, smiling.

     “I wouldn’t have made a bet with you if I’d known. You hustled me.”

     “Is it hustling if I got this for you?”

     Axel looks at him with a raised brow. “Wait, really?”

     Lukas shrugs. “I mean, yeah. It’s a thank you for making me feel better. You like wolves, right?”

     “Yeah, I love them,” Axel says. He takes the wolf from Lukas’ outstretched arms and gives it a squeeze. He looks adorable right now, with his bright brown eyes and wide grin as he looks at the stuffed wolf in his arms. “Are you sure? She’s super cute.”

_      She suits you, then,  _ Lukas thinks.

     “Yeah, of course!” he says. “You still owe me a caramel apple though.”

     “Like I said.  _ Hustled.” _

     They spend the rest of the night together at the festival. Lukas has never had this much fun at an event like this. He’d had an alright time at EnderCon in the years that it ran, enjoying looking at the different things people had built that year and visiting a booth or two, but he’d always left not long after he arrived. He’s always preferred quiet moments alone or with his friends to being surrounded by a huge group of people. With Axel, though, he forgets about the people around him. They meet up with the others during the night, getting into a ring toss competition with Petra and Olivia (which the girls win by a long shot). Jesse pulls all of them into the center of town and their whole group dances in a circle, laughing as they make up moves that are completely ridiculous.

     Lukas feels light by the time he and Axel head back to the Order hall. He’s full of sugar and warmth, and his legs ache from walking around so much. He’s exhausted, but not unhappy. The only plans he has left for the night are with his bed.

     “Have you figured out what you’re going to name your wolf?” Lukas asks as they enter the hall.

     “Spooky,” Axel says. “Cuz she’s white like a ghost.”

     “That’s perfect,” Lukas says with a grin. They reach the hallway leading to their respective bedrooms, and he turns to Axel. “Thanks for not letting me stay in all night. I had a lot of fun.”

     “No problem,” Axel says with an easy smile. “You tend to stay cooped up a lot, you know? I get that you’re working on the book, but it’s good to take breaks sometimes.”

     “Yeah,” Lukas agrees. Axel’s still looking at him with that crooked half-smile that makes his stomach flip. He decides he’s feeling bold. Whether that’s due to his fatigue or actual self-confidence is anyone’s guess. He grabs the front of Axel’s open flannel with one hand, stands on his tiptoes, and gives him a peck on the cheek.

     “Night, Axel,” he says softly.

     “Uh, yeah,” Axel replies, his cheeks dusted with pink and his half-smile turned into a grin. “Night.”

     Lukas smiles and goes into his room, and Axel does the same. Lukas collapses into bed that night with a smile on his face and warmth in his stomach.

**Author's Note:**

> Heehee I love these boys


End file.
